<i>Colloquium</i>: Quantum coherence as a resource

Abstract

The dictum that ``information is physical'' indicates that we should understand how features of quantum physics, in particular, the phenomenon of quantum coherence, can be understood to be, and quantified as, a resource for the processing of information. This Colloquium discusses how to characterize, quantify, and manipulate quantum coherence, in application areas ranging from many-body and solid state physics to biological and nanoscale systems.